Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle usually sees its busiest days during the summer, as customers walk in to get ice cream on a hot day or to enjoy a burger.

But this year is different. Pandemic restrictions and health concerns surrounding in-person dining have slowed business, said Tom Ritchie, owner of the historic diner shaped like a Milk Bottle in Spokane’s Garland District.

“Normally, every day would be busy, so now it’s just a guess,” Ritchie said. “Now it’s like, ‘OK, well, cross your fingers.’ It’s hard.”

The Milk Bottle was built in the 1930s as part of the Benewah Creamery chain.

Although they are seeing a good number of daily takeout orders, foot traffic has been slow, Ritchie said. The diner’s sales are down by about 50% overall since the restrictions began in March, he noted.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Ritchie who also works as a cook at the diner, has been taking on extra hours to cut down on costs. Although it’s been hard, it’s something he loves doing.

Everything is made fresh every day, he said. The hamburger buns are homemade and the meat is hand-pressed on the grill, said Ritchie, who was managing the diner before he bought it.

The diner, which was normally open seven days a week and would be open until 10 p.m. on weekends, is now closed on Sundays. He said he’s been closing the diner earlier and has cut down the number of staff to ease the decrease in sales.

The diner used to have five waitresses during each shift, but now only three are working with Ritchie and three other cooks instead of the usual five, he said.

“I wish I could keep them working, but it’s too slow,” Ritchie said.

The diner also has been affected by lost revenue from canceled fairs and summer events such as Hoopfest, he said.

“That’s another part of our sales that’s not gonna be there, but I’m just slowly surviving, and we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Although Pig Out In The Park is still scheduled for the beginning of September, it’s unclear whether that will happen as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the county.

During that event alone, the Milk Bottle goes through nearly 1,000 tubs of ice cream, Ritchie said.

The diner also brings in money through catering jobs and booths at summer events, which helps supplement the Milk Bottle during the slower winter , Ritchie said.

“It’s gonna be a struggle, but I think we’ll be fine because a lot of people are supporting local small businesses and I’m just hoping this continues,” Ritchie said.

Daisy Zavala can be reached at (509) 459-5318 or at daisyz@spokesman.com